When it comes to picking the right time for hunting quite often hunters will end up getting too caught up in the planning stages and will end up setting out early on a Saturday as the weekend is just beginning.

The truth is, you could actually have much more success if you are willing to set out on a Friday and dedicate a little more time to hunting through a season. Here are some of the top advantages of leaving from work on a Friday to go hunting.

Seasons can be extremely short: ultimately some seasons can be extremely short especially when hunters are meeting their quota almost immediately. Setting out one day early can potentially make sure that you end up bagging a deer, or potentially even some exotic game. When quotas are reached the season closes at in order to get your best chance at bagging something for a short season, or a season with a limited quota you need to get out early. If you can afford to take time off be sure that you are ready to leave from work so that you don’t get stopped by a season ending early.

It gives you an extra day to hunt: some animals can be extremely active during the early morning. If you leave on a Saturday there is a good chance that you will have difficulty bagging a trophy sized animal with only one day to actually hunt. The chances of seeing some animals like large bucks in the middle of the afternoon can sometimes be a long shot in certain climates. In many cases you have to get up early and you have to be ready and in position to get the shot. Extra time in an extra morning to work can do wonders for a hunt.

Better chance at getting a trophy: if you have a long drive ahead of you and you don’t think you would be able to get to a hunting site until sometime on the Saturday afternoon, it makes more sense to set out on Friday night, get to your site and get up early so that you have a better chance at tackling a big trophy. As more and more hunters come the trophies get more scarce so getting to a hunting site ahead of the crowds can be a huge bonus.

Nothing can get in the way: you may find yourself locked in a Saturday routine and rather than waking up on Saturday morning and having to drive kids to activities, clean the house or do the weeks shopping before you head out, you won’t have excuses leaving from work. You can just get in your car, change into your gear and leave from the office. No excuses or routine can mount or get in the way of a good weekend of hunting.

If anything were to break you could get it fixed on Saturday and still have a day to hunt: equipment breaks and whether you need your atv to hunt or something with your rifle or bow fixed, if you identify an issue it can be pretty difficult to get fixed on a Sunday.

Leaving on Friday is you a little more room for error and ensures that if something needs to be fixed it can be done on Saturday giving you another full day to hunt.

These are just a few of the top reasons for why Friday after work is the perfect time to set out on your next big hunting excursion.

If you have had a long hard week at work one of the best ways that you can blow off some steam is at a local gun range. Shooting ranges across the United States are open to the public both the outdoor facilities and the indoor facilities. The best part about going to one of these shooting ranges is that you can rent handguns, try out a number of different guns and learn the basics of gun safety from people who have been involved with the sport of shooting for generations.

Most shooting ranges have some type of range master who oversees the range, performs maintenance and also ensures that everyone is of age and handling guns safely. Ranges generally have a selection of rental weapons including handguns and potentially even rifles so that new people can come in and learn how to use guns in a matter of minutes. Ultimately there are some states that make the process of shooting at a range much easier and much more tourism friendly. If you visit a range in Vegas for example you can visit a rental range which has a wide access of guns that you can simply rent and take out on range with the help of an experienced guide. Regular ranges may not be quite as accommodating but they will quite often have a selection of rental guns and instructors that can take you through the basics.

For a general handgun shooting session at a range you don’t generally have to have any type of license or advanced training. If it’s your first time at the range it’s usually a good idea to have an instructor take you through firearm familiarization basics so that you can understand how to shoot safely and accurately on the range. Any shooter needs to be at least 18-21 years of age depending on the state, sign a waiver prior to entering the range or have a parent or guardian on-site to oversee shooting if the person entering a range is a minor.

Most ranges offer up shooting classes for self-defense and even detailed or advanced tactic shooting depending on the range and the rage masters that are in charge. In many states you can also apply for concealed carry licenses which are available after a short course at the range and these will allow you to buy a gun and easily transported between home and the range so that you won’t have to rent every time.

There are different ranges depending on the type of guns that you are interested in firing. Handgun ranges are perfect for semi automatic pistols, revolvers and in some cases submachine guns. Most targets on this range are between 15 and 100 yards away. Rifle ranges are for shooting at targets 100 to 300 yards away and many feature mechanized systems that reset the targets after they are knocked down. Shotgun and trap ranges are designed for shooting clay disks and skeet or trap shooting. These are usually open fields and these are also the perfect ranges for practicing marksmanship for bird hunting.

When it comes to the costs of a half hour you can usually buy a 50 round box of 9 mm ammunition, rent a lane for an hour and shoot for under $50. The range China’s cheap but it’s the ammunition that adds to the price. It’s normally an extra $20 for assistance and a quick lesson and usually rental rates for rifles vary depending on the range. Overall it is possible to have a quick hour of fun at the shooting range for less than the price of a round of golf.

If you have ever wanted to fire a weapon, learn more about shooting on a range or just blow off some steam on a Friday this is an excellent activity for nearly anyone or even groups of people.

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